Student Mairead priced out of rental market as summer tourists have their pick of properties for short-term lets

Class act: Mairead Maguire is struggling to find somewhere to live for the summer so she can work in Dublin. Photo: Jody Druce

Aoife Breslin

June 21 2022 02:30 AM

Mairead Maguire from Co Donegal is desperately searching for somewhere to live so she can keep her job in Trinity College Dublin over the summer.

With her current lease set to expire at the end of this month, time is of the essence.

However the dearth of accommodation to rent for students, workers and families while at the same time there are thousands of short-term lets available for tourists on sites like Airbnb is a source of frustration for her and many others looking for a place to live.

Currently there are over 4,000 houses advertised on Airbnb.

In stark contrast, the number of houses advertised for rent on Daft.ie is just 329.

“I definitely do wish there was more regulation around people using their property for Airbnb especially now with the housing crisis, I don’t think it’s appropriate how many are being taken up for tourists,” said Mairead.

“There aren’t many options to look at, there are so few places available so you kind of need to know someone you know or rely on generosity of people to find somewhere to live.”

The 21-year-old said she is finding it extremely difficult to find accommodation under €700 in Dublin.

She explained how even though she is an access student and receives a full SUSI grant, it still does not cover the expense of rent in Dublin.

“I am an access student, so I am from a working-class background and don’t have a pile of money,” she said.

“I do get the full SUSI grant but it’s really not enough to cover things at the moment with the increasing rent prices.

“In first year, I would have paid less for rent than I do now and back then I just found it a lot easier to even find somewhere for €600.”

Mairead’s current lease will terminate at the end of June, leaving her under intense time pressure to find another place to live, especially when she is working full-time.

She explained how it is very difficult to find a place to stay within her budget saying that she must put all her savings towards rent which leaves little money to meet other living costs.

“You do have to pay over €700, which is mad, and I am very lucky to have a well-paying job because I know for service workers and that it’s a lot harder.

“It’s just really expensive to enjoy yourself at the moment, the price of everything is just extortionate to even get a drink or food anywhere.”

Mairead explained how she is urgently in need of accommodation for the rest of the summer months but said that come August she will have to search for housing again for the academic year.

At present the shortage of rentals throughout the country is being felt, with very little choice on the major property website Daft.ie.

Mairead said it is hard to become excited about the upcoming academic year as she knows huge expenses come along with living in Dublin.

“I feel a lot of pressure coming up to summer, to get a good job.

“Last summer I had two jobs because I was trying to save up enough money for the year and it still wasn’t really enough even along with SUSI.

“The student accommodation being built or that was built in the last 10 years is often over-luxurious, students don’t want to pay an extra €300 a month so they can have a cinema room in their accommodation.

“Going forward I wish developers would be a more conscious of the students here and their actual needs and not just trying to get more money out of them by adding extras to accommodation that just aren’t necessary.”